In late February of 2019, concern grew for 54-year-old Steven Huebner when he failed to appear for a meeting at his job on the Columbus Air Force Base. His co-workers reported him missing, which initiated a welfare check at his home on Buck Road in Monroe County, Mississippi, near Aberdeen. When authorities arrived, they were met by his wife, Ellen Huebner, who claimed to not know his whereabouts. Investigators conducted a search of the house and the surrounding area, including a nearby canal, but initially found no trace of the missing man.
Subsequent investigation and statements from friends of Ellen Huebner began to piece together a more sinister narrative. A few days later, on March 1, 2019, investigators returned to the couple's residence to find that Ellen had vanished. During a more thorough search of the property, they discovered a black Chevrolet Tahoe stuck in the backyard. Near the rear steps of the home, they located Steven Huebner's body wrapped in a shower curtain and placed inside a plastic tote bag. It appeared as though his wife had been in the process of trying to move his body and dispose of the evidence.
An autopsy later confirmed that Steven Huebner had died from multiple gunshot wounds. Shortly after the discovery of her husband's body, Ellen Huebner, then 45, surrendered to the Monroe County Sheriff's Department. She was arrested and charged with his murder. Friends of Ellen reportedly told investigators that she had confessed the violent act to them.
In August 2019, a Monroe County grand jury indicted Ellen Huebner on the charge of murder. Although the motive for the killing remained unclear, her defense explored the possibility of battered woman syndrome in an attempt to reduce the charge to manslaughter. However, she was ultimately found competent to stand trial. In January 2022, Ellen Huebner, then 48, pleaded guilty to first-degree murder. Before her sentencing, she offered a tearful apology to her husband's family, expressing regret and praying for forgiveness. Unmoved, the judge sentenced her to life in prison.
